It was a lot more difficult to balance a tray of cookies and knock on a door than Jane anticipated. Maybe she went a little overboard in baking, but she still felt awful about everything that happened with Blaine and her leaving Dalton and going to the New Directions. Even with the teams combined now anyway, Jane felt like she had a lot to make up for – a lot to apologize for. Especially to the man who put so much on the line for her, believed in her and even, dare she say, inspired her to keep strong.
Knocking was not going to work and so she gently kicked the door to his office, clearing her throat. “Mr. Anderson? it’s me – Jane Hayward. I brought you some cookies and… some milk as long as I don’t drop it.”
The clack of keyboard keys and Harry Connick Jr.’s voice filled the room that was turned into a makeshift office for him to use. Boxes of supplies he picked up and hadn’t put away yet were scattered at the foot of his desk. His lunch sat untouched beside his elbow. Only a half cup of coffee held his attention. The machine he bought perched carefully on the edge of the windowsill. Quite honestly, the disarray was unlike him. Half moved in, half digging out of boxes for what he needed. Either he was an unorganized person or–his heart just wasn’t quite ready to accept that the place he loved most was now ash and memories.
Hearing the knock–Blaine’s fingers lifted from the keyboard and any tiredness was gone before the door opened. “Jane! Hi!” Bright hazel met Jane before he noticed her situation and his heart simultaneously melted while he sprang up out of his chair. “Let me help. Oh my god. Did you do all of this? You seriously didn’t have to–,” he paused at the smell and felt his stomach rumble. Flashing her a thankful grin–he nodded at the chair next to his desk. “These smell really good. You HAVE to come try some with me??”
“Mr. Anderson… “ Jane was completely speechless by her superior. She knew that Blaine had taken a soft spot for her since she auditioned for the Warblers, but this was a little bit more than she really expected for herself. She wanted to be on the warblers, sure. It was important for her to be – not only for her sake but for her family too. They went through so much to just get her there.
She nodded her head though and let herself go inside the room, though still wary. “I appreciate this extra help, Mr. Anderson, but I don’t see how this is going to help. If they’re so set on keeping things in the male retrospect then like you said, they won’t break their tradition for me.” Sure it stung to say things like that, because Jane wanted it so bad and she knew she was good enough.
Sometimes defeat was just a thing.
“Because maybe I’m not as okay with keeping things in the male retrospect as the rest of them.” Blaine tucked his hands inside his pants pockets as he followed her inside. The dimly lit room was given a measuring glance like he was trying to pinpoint something he couldn’t quite catch. The tail end of his point he was trying to make to her–perhaps? A few overhead lights came to life inside their stained glass fixtures with a flick of a switch.
“That and,” he deflated and his head bowed. “You’re an amazing performer, Jane. You have something far too special to give up on because no one inside this room is willing to change,” one hand freed itself from his pocket so he could rub the back of his neck, “You know? The Warblers might’ve blindly lost a golden opportunity to have you as a part of them. Even if they can’t see it because they’re stuck?” He shoved his bottom lip up against his upper and shrugged. “Doesn’t mean others wouldn’t jump at the chance. More on that in a minute. For now? Do me the honor of one song before I ask you to hear me out?”
“Blaine! Do you really think this is a good idea?” Jane hissed to the older Warbler as the two of them walked down the corridor in Dalton Academy. She was genuinely worried right now because this was after curfew and all the rooms were locked. There were tons of other chances to actually sing together and Jane didn’t actually want to push it.
Her hand touched the boy’s arm trying to get him to stop picking the lock. “Blaine! You do realize that they’ll be thinking of any opportunity to kick me off the Warblers and if we get caught this is sure reason. I’d be putting a bad name for sneaking around Dalton late at night.”
“No, Jane, I don’t think this is a good idea. I think this is a great idea. Huge difference there,” he grinned as he finished leading Jane down the dark hallway with only the moonlight shining in through large floor to ceiling stained glass windows and sconces shining amber in their little crannies to light the way. Not that Blaine needed them. He could find his way to where they were going in pitch black dark if he needed to. The mischievous glint in his eye said he meant every word he giddily whispered back.
“Listen,” he kept working on the lock not mentioning the fact that he had a key. Why? Blaine was just in the right mood to see if he ‘still had it’. His tongue stuck between his lips and a determined flinch of his jaw in concentration later? When the lock gave with a feather light click–he grinned the grin of a person on the receiving end of a one sided joke. “If we get caught–I’ll take the blame and say it was my idea. Deal?” The door opened with a whine of metal against metal. “If they’re going to make it difficult for you–then I’m going to give you all the advantage that I can. Sure it might be cheating but—in this case? Cheating is a relative term that I am choosing to ignore,” his hand gestured into the dark room, “Ladies first.”
pianokeysandbowties 